Easton's 37th annual Heritage Day today showcased what many in attendance say is a downtown on its way toward a resurgence.

A new city hall is taking shape on South Third Street. High-end apartments are opening. New restaurants, from family-friendly Cheeburger Cheeburger to destinations like 3rd & Ferry Fish Market, are attracting visitors. And police are very visible.

Heritage Day -- the annual celebration commemorating the July 8, 1776, reading of the Declaration of Independence in Easton -- brought the largest turnout organizers have seen since its inception, said Diane Bower, who heads the Heritage Day Committee.

"There's thousands of people here, way more than ever before. It's significant," she said. "I'm driving around in a golf cart and can barely get through the crowds. And that's never happened before."

Easton Heritage Day celebrated on July 13, 2014The celebration of Heritage Day featured re-enactors, vendors and various activities throughout Downtown Easton on July 13, 2014. Easton Heritage Day celebrates the historic reading of the Declaration of Independence that took place downtown on July 8, 1776.

Thomas Howey, an Easton native, agreed the city's rebirth is coming along, slowly, but surely. He wants to see city festivals get even bigger in the future.

Cynthia Leh, another city native, said the newer restaurants are helping to bring in more foot traffic.

"I want more restaurants like this," she said near Cheeburger Cheeburger on Northampton Street. "I see a lot of people out for the festival."

Andrew Frey, who has lived in Easton into adulthood, said city officials have worked hard to revamp the downtown in recent years.

"Cheeburger, Mesa (Modern Mexican) and the fish market are coming in," he said, noting he and his girlfriend, Jamie Trindle, spend nearly every weekend downtown. "(People need to) come and check it out. We got a lot of stuff for everybody."

Popular festival draws included children's activities, such as pony and train rides, live music and history taught from volunteers in period dress, as well as barbecue fare, flavored ice and a beer garden. A fireworks display is scheduled for 9:30 tonight, launched from the confluence of the Lehigh and Delaware rivers.

Local bars and restaurants cheered being able to accept cash and credit instead of tokens, as they did in previous years. As a result, cash registers were ringing all afternoon.

"I heard people walking up and saying it was much easier for them," said Chloe Judge, working at the Porters' Pub stand.

Bushkill Township resident Jacki Winkleston was one grateful patron. "It was a hassle to get tokens and wait in line for tokens," she said. "By far, this is a great idea."

Bower said festival organizers nixed the tokens after they found themselves in a deficit due to rainy weather last year. The nonprofit now requires food merchants to pay a flat fee up front versus a percentage of token sales, as in years past.

"For every dollar we spend, that's a dollar we had to raise," Bower said.

New this year were crafters in period dress, such as a beekeeper selling freshly jarred honey, as well as blacksmiths, gunsmiths, weavers and spinners.

The centerpiece of the day took place at noon with a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence in Centre Square; Easton was one of three cities where the seminal document was first read publicly, along with Trenton and Philadelphia. Entertainment continued into evening, with 11 bands slated to perform everything from soft acoustic to jazz.

"You name it, we got it," Bower said.

The festival began 37 years ago as Community Spirit Day. Bower said within the past three years, it evolved into a celebration of history, both past and present, during the day with community activities into the night.